J. Morgan Stevens

J. Morgan Stevens
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
In office May 27, 1915 – September 19, 1920
Personal details
Born	(1876-05-27)May 27, 1876 Old Augusta, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	November 7, 1951(1951-11-07) (aged 75) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Children	7

John Morgan Stevens (May 27, 1876 – November 7, 1951) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1915 to 1920.

Early life

John Morgan Stevens was born on May 27, 1876, in Old Augusta, Mississippi.[1][2] He was the son of Benjamin Stevens, a Captain in the Confederate States Army, and Lorena Annette (Breland) Stevens.[1] Stevens attended the public schools of Augusta, and then attended Millsaps College.[1] He graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B. A. in 1898 as the valedictorian of his class.[1]

Career

Stevens passed the Mississippi State Bar Examination, and then moved to Lexington, Mississippi, where he formed a law firm with L. M. Southworth.[1] He moved to Hattiesburg in 1901, and formed a law partnership with his brother, H. Stuart Stevens.[1] In 1912, Stevens was appointed to be the Chancellor of Mississippi's 8th District.[1] After the Elective Judiciary Act was passed by the Mississippi Legislature in 1914, Stevens was put into an election for that office, which he won.[1] On May 27, 1915, Stevens was appointed to a full term to the Mississippi Supreme Court by Governor Earl Brewer.[1][2] Stevens resigned from the Court on September 19, 1920.[3][2] After leaving the Court, Stevens continued practicing law, joining the Wells, Stevens, and Jones law firm in Jackson, Mississippi.[2] In 1929, Stevens was chosen to be a member of a committee to recodify all of Mississippi's laws.[4] In 1930, Stevens founded a law firm, known as Stevens and Stevens, with his son, John Morgan Stevens, Jr.[2] After the younger Stevens' death in 1946, the firm became known as Stevens and Cannada.[4]

Personal life and death

Stevens married Ethel Featherstun on June 7, 1905.[1][4] They had seven children, named John Morgan Jr. (1906 or 1907- 1946),[1][5] Emily White (Stevens) McLachlan (1908-?),[1][4][6] Joseph Johnston (1909-1911),[7] Stuart Featherstun (died 1922),[1][8] Ethelwyn Featherstun (Stevens) Hart (1915-2009),[1][4][9][10] Phineas Nicholas (1917-2016),[11][12] and Francis Bigelow (1921-2008).[4][13][12] Stevens died on November 7, 1951, at 2 PM, at the Baptist Hospital in Jackson.[2]

References

1. Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. pp. 535–536.
2. "Stevens, John Morgan, Judge - Obituary 1951, part 1". Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
3. Rowland, Dunbar (1925). History of Mississippi, the Heart of the South. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p. 452.
4. "Obituary for Judee Stevens". Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
5. "Obituary for J. Morgan Stevens (Aged 39)". Clarion-Ledger. July 26, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
6. "MacLachlan, Emily S. (Emily Stevens), 1908- - Civil Rights Digital Library". crdl.usg.edu. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
7. "Obituary for Joseph Johnston Stevens". Hattiesburg Daily News. May 8, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
8. "Stuart Stevens". Jackson Daily News. June 10, 1922. p. 3. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
9. "Ethelwyn F Hart in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
10. "Obituary for Ethelwyn Hart (Aged 93)". Clarion-Ledger. May 10, 2009. p. 15. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
11. "Phineas Stevens Obituary". Clarion-Ledger. December 18, 2016. pp. A13. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
12. Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 896.
13. "Obituary for Francis B. Stevens, 1921-2008 (Aged 87)". Clarion-Ledger. September 5, 2008. p. 15. Retrieved August 30, 2022.

Political offices
Preceded by Richard F. Reed	Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi 1915–1920	Succeeded by William Henry Cook